Comment posted on Reflections on the Penang dragon boat tragedy by looes74
FenceSitter,
You are right about badminton! Several ministers dropped dead while playing badminton….
looes74 also commented
- Iron,
I think we should stop finger pointing as it’s not helping anybody. As far as I am concerned, it’s an accidence. The state government has agreed to have an independent inquiry. However, inquiry’s objective is for betterment & improvement
New World Hotel collapsed in Singapore in 1984. Since then, strict regulations have been imposed. Yet, it can’t prevent another accident that shocked Singapore. Nicoll Highway collapsedIron,
Ah so, stop construction! People do drop dead from playing badminton. So how, ban here ban there. We should uncover the truth, recommend solutions & improvement & move on with life
Even Wee Ka Siong, BN fella, called public not to blame the state government. - Patrick,
Anything can be dangerous. Even me nearly got drowned in Sentosa. Yes, that beach is reclaimed. We just need to take precautionary steps to prevent accidents from happening - Gerakan,
Perhaps, you can ask Najib to ban National Service.
By the way, I have nothing against National Service. In fact, since Najib insist in having 30% quota. Ask your Gerakan master to push UMNO overlord to introduce conscription
Have a quota of 40% non malays in the armed forces. 40% non malays in the top military leadership
Can you do it?
Recent comments by looes74
- Jho Low parties with Paris Hilton
Gerakan,
What if the money comes from the Malaysian public? Think along that line. But then, why the SDO so busybody of condemning a duly elected politician? Ah so…. - PICC still on the cards
Sorry Anil to bring out the old topic. Remember Kampung Buah Pala….What say you on this? Same analogy can use too….Aiyaa…..This one I am with you…..But only because of money no enough
- Speakers’ Square: Hecklers enter the fray
Anil,
The newspaper that old man says that Gerakan would lose Penang forever. The very few words by Lim Kheng Yaik - Speakers’ Square: Hecklers enter the fray
O,
I agreed that it’s Chee Koon’s fault in asking for the procession. You can’t deny the fact he stands for bangsa malaysia. Anyway Chee Koon left Gerakan…..He was one of the few Independent candidates that I admire - RM525m donation is chicken-feed…
Anil,
Amazing….Generous act….Wah! kenna macam like receiving crumbs from the table. I say to Vincent Tan & the rest of the gang. Lets nationalised all gambling licences. Including Genting Berhad if possible. Put it under One National Body. Since the federal government is so untrustworthy, get those thrustworthy folks to run them & channel all money directly to the poeple.
How about that?Anil,
If ever the present government has as high integrity as Singapore government, perhaps, follow Singapore stylehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Pools
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Shall we ban this dangerous activities?
Just like the illegal Chief Minister of Perak who suggested that night travels by buses be banned because the driver fell asleep while driving? Do you think that is correct? Do you not think the above tragedy could be avoided if those concerned had listen to the experience? Is there a necessity to change the venue of the race? Any way, let us together learn from this sad episode that the loss of lives could have been prevented had better preparations and care been given to its preparations.
Our deepest condolences to the families of the grieving. We share your grief and pain.
Cheers Gerakan K.
repetitive parrot,
That MB is legal one because the court confirmed it. To question court decision = contempt of court and it is punishable under the LAW. I think this blog owner should censor this repetitive parrot comment.
Which MB are you referring to? …
Hey! Latest news from Perak, Malays in the kampungs are coming out by the tens of thousands to support DSAI. I think the illegal CM is scared stiff, what say you Gerakan K?
Cheers.
Gerakan,
Perhaps, you can ask Najib to ban National Service.
By the way, I have nothing against National Service. In fact, since Najib insist in having 30% quota. Ask your Gerakan master to push UMNO overlord to introduce conscription
Have a quota of 40% non malays in the armed forces. 40% non malays in the top military leadership
Can you do it?
To Gerakan K, Can we also consider banning driving since so many road accident happened and so many lives were lost over the years?
Dragon boat race is proving to be quite a dangerous sport. I remember in 2007, it claimed the lives of six young Singaporeans when their boat capsized during the Cambodian Water festival. All who drowned were experienced and good swimmers.
Patrick,
Anything can be dangerous. Even me nearly got drowned in Sentosa. Yes, that beach is reclaimed. We just need to take precautionary steps to prevent accidents from happening
i was devastated…
When i looked at their young bright faces, i was hurt…
and i asked God why…
My only comfort is they are in paradise now, a better place…
HI Anil,
This is the first time I am writing to a blog.I would like to share some of my experiences to create awareness in order that we don”t have to see another unnecessary tragedy again.I am very active in my younger days and water sports is one of my favorites.
You will notice that there is aways a trend of major drowings every 8 to 10 years either in the sea, river or waterfall.
Parents whose children are now in the lower primary school needs to take note and impress upon them on what I am going to share.These children will be in their teens within this period.By then, all these drowing tragedy will be forgoten.So, parents, you will have to remind your children now on the do”s and don”t when playing in water source areas.
RESPECT NATURE( WATER ).THEY DO NOT DISCREMINATE.
Dragon boat:
This is a interesting and a energy saping water sports.We use to used wooden boat previously.Wooden boats are much heavier and therefore does not over turn easily.As for fibre glass boat, they are much lighter and they can overturn quite easily.Sometimes even with a 1 to 1.5 feet of waves.
When there is a high waves coming in parallel to lenght of your boat, you will need to change your direction of your boat to perpendiculer direction.That means front of the boat must be facing the waves.This type of small boats do not have breaks.Therefore the person at the back of this dragon boat must be a experience ruder guy to stear the boat away from danger.HE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MAN IN THE BOAT.
Before your team get on the boat.Always do a safety briefing and check your safety gears.Use safety vast that can help you to float skywards facing, when your are in water.This will ensure that even when you are knock unconcious, your face will be facing upwards and you are able to breath.
Know your life jacket.You will need to unstrap yourself fast when you are trap underneath the boat or get caught by the overturn boat.
If you know that your boat is going to over turn,jump away or swin away from the boat as far as possible.This will ensure that you are not caught by the overturn boat.Overturn boat will create mini under currents that will suck you in.
Dragon boat at the dam:Remember that the water are calm but the drop is vertical.Rocks are all around you.
You must at least be able to swim before you want to be in the Dragon boat team.If you cannot even save yourself, stay clear from this sports.This is already a RED flag for you and your team.It a NO GO.
Always say a little prayer and collect some sand or pebbles and throw it into the sea, river or dam before you go in to the water.
I am not being superstitious but this ritual will remind you on the danger which you are geting into.
Understand that weather,the sea, the boat,the safety gears and overall situation.When in doubt, walk away.
Swiming in the sea:
Always remember that there will be a sudden drop in depth of the beach when the waves that washes ashore is strong.Avoid going into the water when you see that the waves are strong., and the water is murky.
When there is a long line of white foams floating in the sea, there are lots of water insects and jeely fish around.You need to know your first aid when you are stung by jelly fish and sometimes by the sea insects.
Scuba diving and snorkerling :
These two activities are the most interesting.Normally for ameteurs, you will go out into some nearby island or round island trips.If you were to take the boat ride out, also make sure you have you life jacket on.
Don”t be afraid to let your friends tease you on this.I was tease by my friends when I was the only one wearing the life jacket when on such trips.
If you are going to some 2 hours boat ride out to some isolated place, the wheather can suddenly change.
There was this trip out to Pulau Payar some 25 years ago.We hire a fishermans trawler and into the trip, the was a sudden storm and the waves were like 10 feet high which rock the trawler violently.The initial reaction was one of trills and joy.Everybody was enjoying the roller coaster ride and there was lots of shouting and yelling.But after 10 minutes,there was all silence.Most of us became sea sick and also it sink into us that there was NO life jacket.GOD was kind to us on this trip as we were able to reach out destination and make camp for about a week and back safely.The trawler will leave you and come back only after a week.
On such trips,make sure you are equip with all the medicines and all the water and foods,gas tanks to last more than a week.You must make sure that there are no known pirates activities around that area.
The water current in such places are unknow.So you will have to be extra careful.
On this particular trip to Pulau Payar, a group of us decided to swim from Pulau Payar to Pulau Lembu ( another island quite nearby ).We estimated that it will takes us about 20 minutes to reach.Boy, we were so wrong.On that day, the current was at its strongest.We were in the water for about an hour and not able to reach the island as the current was carrying us out to the deep ocean.
We then decided that the only way to reach the island was to swim up against the current and let current carry us back.
Don”t eat when you want to scuba:
Don”t eat or do not go in to scuba after a meal.You will get yourself killed.
We have a friend that eat some 5 to 6 apples before going for scuba.Apples produces gas in the tummy.This is where the danger is.The gas that are produce in the tummy are compress when you are deep inside that water.When you surface,these gases becomes expanded and that what got this guy killed.
Spear Gun:
Becareful when you are using the spear gun.Some novices will follow you aroung with the spear gun and you can be sure he can accidently shoot you.
Even in the jungle, friends shoots friends accidently when you mistook one another for a wild boar.
There are lots of sea creature like jelly fish ( can be about 20 feet long,personally seen )sea urchins, sharks,stone fish, blue octopus etc.that you need to understand them before you go near.
One incident which I would like to share is during one of our trips an accident happen.Our boat propeller got caught by a steel cable during the ride.Don”t know how the steel cable appear but we suspect it must be from the boat itself.The propeller fail to fuction right in the middle of nowhere.One of my friend then decided to put on his scuba gear, go into the water and tried to cut the cable.
It was during the process of cutting, that the tension of the cable become unwound.That was the danger that nobody predicted.The unwound cable spring open and slides off 2 fingers from his hand.We were lucky that we had a Atur phone during that time and we contact for help. It came in the form of a helicopter.We were lucky that we had the Atur phone and also lucky that the cable did not slice off his head.
Go for your scuba lession if you are serious.Novice, please stay away.
Waterfalls:
You notice that every 8 to 10 years, people get drown in these areas.
Understand the place where you are in.If you are sitting on the rocks near the waterfalls, don”t think you are out of danger.Understand your enviroment.DO NOT GO TO THE WATERFALLS DURING RAINING SEASON.
Water higher up in the moutains will collect and will gushes down with enormous force during a rain or storm.
The location you are in might not be raining. The waterfall which you are in might look harmless and serene but the danger is that you will not know when the water will suddenly rushes down.Most of the drowning are causes by this situation.
Even if you can swim, the impact of the water will push you down stream or worse, you hit your head against the rock.Once this happen, you are sure to drown.Water carry down stream from the moutians carry with it lots of debris.
The spot where the water drops into the pools will have a whirlpool.This is a danger spot.
Don’t get caught in between that cleaves of rocks.Avoid going to waterfalls during raining seasons.
Go and play in Sunway Lagoon.It is safer there.
Shooting the River:
I have a good friend who died which having a good time shooting rapids in Camerons Highland some years back.He is a very strong swimmmer and also a good scuba diver.During the last trip, the river current was very strong and there was a competition going on with participants from other countries.
While on the trip down river, their dingy was coming down fast and hit some rocks.They were all thrown out of the dingy and this guy got hit on his head and drown.Even with safety vest and helmets on does not guarantee your life.
It was heart wrenching to see him leaving his wife and 2 young children of about 7 and 8 years old.
I am not saying that you do not participate in water sports, but it is good to be aware of your limitations and also your environment.
Cheers
Thanks Jon, this is a very good write up. The Penang water sport center, an alternative dragon boat training site, does have a lot of jelly fish and I have seen people stung there. Pulau Tioman recently had a flash flood tragedy involving Singaporean tourists. Flash flood tragedies occur every year.
Hello people
What had happen in this unfortunate tragedy was more towards human error from the beginning, when the basic elements are not taken care thus it leads to one thing to another, a chain reactions.
Questions keep on popping up, like why this, why that and finger pointing starts just to avoid being held responsible by certain parties.
I am surprise after all these years, Penang being one of the early pioneers in introducing Dragon Boat in this region have not move with time, that is why we did not made impact to in the international federation.
Penang Dragon Boat Association (PBDA) is affiliated to the INTERNATIONAL DRAGON BOAT FEDERATION (IDBF) and IDBF has rules and regulations enforced on its member countries.
Down the line, the national association of the member country is suppose to enforce the rules and regulations on its clubs in their country.
The IDBF, has a section on WATER SAFETY POLICY, check this out:
(http://idbf/documents/watersafety/6-IDBFSPO4.pdf) and (http://idbf.org/documents/watersafety/TrainingSafetyProcedures.pdf)
that is to ensure that all member countries and its affiliated clubs follows the rules or the IDBF can take actions against the offenders.
The above guide lines are supposed to disseminate by PDBA been in charge of the Dragon Boat Sports to all associations or clubs in Malaysia.
If any associations or clubs that do not follow the rules and regulations, PDBA can reprimand the offenders and to the worst of it, is banning the offenders from participation in future Dragon Boat activities.
The Dragon Boat used in Penang is of international approved design and are not recommended for open water due to its low profile design. This means any wave more than 2-3ft will likely to swarm with water depending the direction the boat is facing.
I believe on that day when the tragedy strike, the so call wave was created by some passing vessel/s in the area which causes a series of close wakes that hit the dragon boat.
The stretch of water from Chinese jetties in Weld Quay to the south until Gelugor TNB station is suppose to be calm as it is protected by the island and middle sandbank but the dirtiest due the discharge from monsoon drains, stream (think of Sg Pinang) and the infamous Jelutong sewage plant.
The current there on the surface (about 5-7 knots) and under current (6-9 knots) which is are very strong during spring tide due to the narrowing of the channel by reclamation.
During high tide, the water current flows from North of Penang to south and during low tide the current is reverse. That is why two bodies floated all the way to the ferry terminal.
It has been many years that I have wished that a proper watersport centre has been set up in Penang since the Dragon Boat was going international and Formula 1 Powerboat held at the Penang bridge way back. The politicians I talked to over the years are not interested but now we have lost those events to Putrajaya.
BTW, the watersport centre in Tg Bungah is not conducive since day one and it was set up was to please some politicians, agreed by some … lickers.
Oh come on. All sports have some element of danger it them, even badminton. If we start banning sports that seem dangerous, we might as well ban all sports. Participants need to be trained on self rescue and survival techniques in case of emergencies. In the case of water sports they must be trained in sea survival techniques similar that used to train sea-farers and offshore going personnels in the oil and gas industry.
FenceSitter,
You are right about badminton! Several ministers dropped dead while playing badminton….
no doubt one must wear life jackets. but life jackets must be worn correctly for effectiveness. for example, when the jacket is strapped on, pull the shoulders of the jacket up, the buoyancy should not exceed your ears. if yes, when you fall in the water, your nose will be under water.
in cases when the water is raging, current strong it makes little difference whether you are wearing life jackets or not. so the other part of water safety is to investigate the weather and current/tide report before you set out for training. we should not ban the sport but rather increase the skills and knowledge of the trainers. accidents happen when one is ignorant.
Heart-rending eye-witness account.
The Singaporean-Cambodian accident article is a worthy reference. The Penang investigation panel should invite some of those experts for advice.
Many of the Cambodian factors seem to be present in our local accident.
The life jacket issue is a conundrum. On the one hand, we suspect our local team has inadequate life jackets. On the other hand, the Singaporean team was provided with unsuitable life jacket too bulky for competition, so they opted not to wear them. Furthermore, our eye witness blogger heard that one of the life jackets might have been caught under the tug boat.
According to some press reports, only three of the team wore life jacket, and two of them were drowned.
Such complex physical risks can only be overcome by human intelligence — through guidelines, procedures, training, on-the-ground leadership, common sense, individual alertness, and risk assessment.
I was on the team many years ago. I don’t think young people should give up dragon boat race.
I read from The Star reported on 19 January:
It’s only the dam now for Penang dragon boat races
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Pesta Open Dragon Boat Race 2009 will no longer be held at the Bandar Sri Pinang fisherman’s jetty off the Jelutong Expressway.
Penang Tourism Development and Culture Committee chairman Danny Law said the decision was made after complaints that there were no proper demarcations during the race last December.
“There were complaints about the alignment and the lack of demarcation last December. Because of that, we decided then that the race would no longer be held there,” Law said here yesterday.
Anil, I have highlighted in your blog a few weeks back that Danny had been getting wrong advice from the people that is in the inner circle surrounding him and it is now proven.
I do not know who had advised him to change the Dragon Boat venue. Now he is going back to the old venue after a very expensive mistake, by using trial and error method.
There are so many, many, many people that have experience in Dragon Boat to help him, why is he not listening to them?
Furthermore, I believed that there is going to be a political divide which is now brewing and it is not going to be good for Penang’s image in the eyes of the Dragon Boating Sports.
If this allowed to happen, don’t be surprised if Penang losses the right to be the national association affiliated to the International Dragon Boat Federation as Putrajaya Dragon Boat with all the federal government backing is just waiting to takes over. We have already lost Formula 1 Powerboat Racing to Putrajaya. DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN to Dragon Boat.
Remember, the birth place for Dragon Boat Racing in Malaysia is PENANG!
This is an excerpt from a press statement by Danny Law found in the VisitPenang Newsletter
There are, as usual, a lot of key ingredients missing from Danny Law’s statement.
Those of us who read the Chinese newspapers have read about those “missing items” which, in one way or another, force the dragon boat teams to use other areas, such as the one in the McCallum site, as training sites.
Danny Law is still doing everything he can to deny everything.
I am not saying that he is the main reason for the tragedy, but without Danny Law’s *maneuvers*, many dragon boat team wouldn’t have to go to dangerous waters, such as the one at McCallum, to train, in the first place.
The things Danny Law is doing is not better than the doings of some BN politicians, and IMHO, he should step down, in order to allow the PR government to redeem itself.
Iron,
I think we should stop finger pointing as it’s not helping anybody. As far as I am concerned, it’s an accidence. The state government has agreed to have an independent inquiry. However, inquiry’s objective is for betterment & improvement
New World Hotel collapsed in Singapore in 1984. Since then, strict regulations have been imposed. Yet, it can’t prevent another accident that shocked Singapore. Nicoll Highway collapsed
Iron,
Ah so, stop construction! People do drop dead from playing badminton. So how, ban here ban there. We should uncover the truth, recommend solutions & improvement & move on with life
Even Wee Ka Siong, BN fella, called public not to blame the state government.
Some said these dragon boat strongly related to the culture of the rich. By the way, firecracker also related to that culture as well. But why we agreed to the firecracker banning? Safety first and put all so called culture things behind. Another culture related thing include “kong ming” lantern. This lantern must also be banned effectively to avoid danger to aeroplane and high rise building.
@looes74
Our National Service modules are too soft for any useful purpose. It should either be scrapped or enhanced it to become a full military service
@Limko
I know what are you thinking now. Banning the dragon boat sports = lost of culture thing. Right?
@FenceSitter
Talking on badminton, I must say that I really enjoyed yesterday matches of Malaysia Badminton Open by our players in men single/double. Congratulation to them by winning both the competitions. By the way, what is the danger of playing badminton?
To Gerakan K,
Don’t confuse the issue by dragging in the culture thing!,
I am only following your logic because of accident that ended with deaths, therefore dragon boat should be banned. Similarly, driving should be banned since more deaths occurred over the years, if going by your logic.
Most people taking up Dragon Boat rowing are from the Georgetown and south of it are from the middle and lower income group. Can you picture the distant and the cost to Teluk Bahang (it is a bit further than Teluk Bahang) in your mind, Danny?
Do the state government have a budget to provide free bus transport for the schools students to go for their training at the Dam?
MOST rich kids and I guess maybe about 95% of them would not take up Dragon boat but would pass their time with friends at Starbuck or internet cafes or such places.
The state government should be happy that some young Penangites are taking some wholesome activities like Dragon boat rowing as a sport and should encourage more to do so.This is to keep them from picking up undesireable activities take would grow into a social problem in the future.
If the people in Dragon Boat are made to travel on motorcycle two or three time a week, could you see the risks of taking the distant and the winding road?
Could you, YB please check the number of accidents record that had occured from Tg To’kong to Teluk Bahang annually?
I think the road accident risks is higher than open water dragon boat training in comparision. Whatever it is, open water is NOT RECOMMENDED but any better choice?
The potential scenarios of motorcycle accident travellilng to Telok Bahang is very real and should be avoided. Make group buses available instead.
Not all rich kids waste their time in Starbucks.
Not all poor kids go row dragon boats.
Teluk Bahang is far, yes, the winding road is dangerous, true, but “bus service” is a little bit too much.
You want to pamper our kids like our government pampers (certain) privileged people?
For crying out loud, our kids are already pampered enough.
They don’t need to walk 10 miles in 3 feet of snow to school, and back … oh wai… wrong country.
But anyway, you get the drift.
There’s nothing prestigious, wasteful or pampering about arranged bus transport for group outings. It is more economic and fuel efficient for groups too.
If you have recently driven through Tanjung Bungah, Batu Feringgi, and Teluk Bahang, you will realize the tremendous increase in high-speed traffic in the last 10 years, from an explosion of population up to Batu Feringgi.
Rapid Penang buses perhaps can do the job if equipments can be stored on site. Let the team decide. If the traffic is too dangerous, as many parents will soon realize, there will just be a drop in participation.
Iron,
I may not get your drift but one thing is for sure you memory disk is outdated.
Please read carefully what I have written and I will repeat:
“MOST rich kids and I guess maybe about 95% of them would not take up Dragon boat but would pass their time with friends at Starbuck or internet cafes or such places.”
I had mentioned more venues than just “Starbuck” as above. Maybe you are from high above the middle income group that’s why you are so defensive. Maybe you have allowed your kid/s to have good life and to stand out among his/her peers (if you have any children).
You must understand in today’s live at school is very different from those were the days, it is so competitive to score good grades to proceed to higher education. Time is an essence to most students. They have to divide the time for attending normal school hours, going for tuition, school sports practice, co-curriculum and other school activities.
I think you hardly travel the road to the Teluk Bahang Dam, why don’t you take a motorcycle trip there and find out for yourself how many “blind corners” are there along the route? Have you ever met a face to face with near missed head-on with a tour bus or the ten-wheeled construction lorries at these “blind corners” that these BIG vehicles cuts into your path along the route?
If we are talking about safety for the young school students, than why we are putting them in more risky venture? How many students have rich parents to give them a car to go for Dragon Boat activities at the Teluk Bahang Dam? Driving a car of course give them better protection than riding a motorcycle.
I know this stretch of road well because my family house is in Batu Ferringhi and I grew up there. I used to take three changes of buses to go to Penang Free School or sometime I cycle all the way to school in the morning when I have afternoon school activities. That is in the seventies when the road was so peaceful. At that time, there were not many want to be F1 drivers on the roads and even cycling is safe!
Thanks kahseng for concurring with me and you are is right, the density of population has increased many folds from Bagan Jermal , Tanjung To’Kong, Tanjung Bungah, Batu Feringgi, and Teluk Bahang but the roads have hardly widen to take the increase of traffic.
My suggestions on using the bus will not only reducing road accidents risk but also to encourage a new generation of citizens in green environment awareness and in reducing road congestion.
Lets’ continue with one of Penang heritage and be proud of The Dragon Boat rowing sports and make it safe for all.